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Domaine Sainte-Anne, Côtes du Rhône Villages, Saint Gervais, 2001 Bright youthful purplish red. Black raspberry and fruity earth on the nose, echoing in the mouth with a slight hint of road tar and garrigue aplenty. Dark and brooding now, this could use 2-3 years to tone down the frame some. Good and good at the price of between $15-20. A-

Domaine du Moulin, Cheverny (rouge), 2004 What the hell is this?? Dickens tale of two fricken cities is what we have here, at least until after the stormclouds of pulling corks has passed. Cloudish Ocean Spray® red colored. Initially, there is a whopping dose of fecal matter, soybean plant pesticide and decaying fruitskin compost for aromas. A weird mix of tart sour cherry, sweetened tamarind nectar, some slight black fruit, and La Brea tar on the finish. Only mildy acidic, this comes across rather softish. Like drinking someone's homemade wine, faults and all. Fortunately better the next day. A blend of gamay & pinot noir from my understanding. B

Granbazán, Rias Baixas, Albariño, 2004 A light pale yellow. Lime, ginger zest, and sea-air on the nose. Light hops, cilantro, limey and minerally, salty finish. Ephemeral in feeling and dimension, this would be good with a shellfish stew. B+

Bogle Vineyards, California, 'Phantom', 2003 Dark purplish garnet. Young zinberry fruit nose with black and raspberries, slight exotic perfume on the nose. Berries n'creme and small leather strap toward the end. Surprisingly forward despite the high percentage of Petite sirah (59%, balance 39% old vine zinfandel, 2% old vine mourvedre), this friendly lapdog wants to lick your face at each sip. Definately not a FLA Jim wine, the alcohol - although well concealed (14.6%) - makes itself known if you are drinking more than 2 glasses. Still, a good summer BBQ/picnic wine to be consumed within the next few years. Price around $18. B+

Mark,
Nice notes. The CdR sounds great. do you know the blend? Given Robin's poll today, I'm thinking it's close to a pretty good weekday red. Good now, better in 2-3 years. Sound like the Albarino was nice too.
Cheers
James

I should have assumed as much. I tend to really like that blend. When I drink a cheap Aussie wine I like, more often than not it's a GSM blend. I would love to see more from California. It's a good quaffable blend. It's usually a good QPR too. If more were made stateside we might have less to complain about in Robin's poll.